Postdoc
My research focuses on understanding how emotional valence is integrated into social memory circuits to guide behavior. During my doctoral work at UMC Utrecht, I investigated how distinct neuronal ensembles in the ventral tegmental area represent positive and negative emotional states. At Columbia, I am extending this approach with a particular interest in how neurons represent the identity of others and how these representations acquire emotional meaning through experience. By examining how these neuronal ensembles form, change, and influence behavior, I aim to elucidate the circuit principles that support social memory and how their disruption may contribute to disorders of social cognition.